As Twitchy told you, Chuck Grassley has released a letter signed by “65 women of bipartisan backgrounds who knew Judge Kavanaugh in high school”:

65 women of bipartisan backgrounds who knew Judge Kavanaugh in high school: "For the entire time we have known Brett Kavanaugh, he has behaved honorably and treated women with respect" & has "stood out for his friendship, character, and integrity" #SCOTUShttps://t.co/9dT54BC2qMpic.twitter.com/5QtcPfwjX5

Republicans having 65 signatories ready to go to attest to Kavanaugh’s high school conduct suggests that they too knew about the outlines of these allegations and have chosen strategically to play defense.

Nothing is surprising anymore but it is still shocking that Republicans knew about this allegation, sat on it, and got their ducks in a row to help Kavanaugh weather it, in the event that they couldn't jam him through with the allegation concealed. Vile. https://t.co/RpeESquJWi

1/ This. Regardless of how all this falls out, the fact Grassley had a list of 65 women from Kavanaugh's high school as character witnesses LINED UP is literally the biggest, dumbest tell that they knew this was coming down the pike. Even wait until Monday, for chrissake. https://t.co/opKijAUBmj

So, basically, guys like Stein and Rogers think Senate Republicans had been collecting these signatures for weeks, waiting to deploy them in the event that Dianne Feinstein would pull the stupid stunt she pulled yesterday.

The fact that it's easy to find dozens of female peers willing to vouch for you is now taken as, what? Evidence of guilt? https://t.co/T5s9LPu7WK

For the record, Sen. Grassley’s communications adviser Garrett Ventry is also pouring cold water on the suggestion that Grassley and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were sitting on the letter defending Kavanaugh: